This invention relates generally to the flight termination of booster rockets, in response to a range safety destruct command, from air launched vehicles or the like by detonation of shaped charges.
Booster rockets carried on the external tank of a Space Shuttle vehicle, for example, have heretofore been destructed on range safety command during a launch by detonation of linear shaped charges mounted on and extending longitudinally along the outer shells of the booster rockets. An example of such an explosive destruct system for booster rockets is disclosed in U S. Pat. No. 4,649,824 to Guay.
Explosive destruct of booster rockets has heretofore been accompanied by massive and potentially dangerous fragmentation. It was discovered that one possible cause for such fragmentation results from longitudinal splitting of the booster rocket shell attached to the external tank by detonation of the linear charge causing "bend buckling" or axial bending of the shell during the destruct or "break up" process. Such bending of the shell would account for fragmentation instability and scattering of high velocity fragments with potentially damaging results.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to substantially reduce the degree of fragmentation of booster shells and fragment velocities heretofore accompanying a destruct sequence initiated on abort command during launch of aerospace vehicles or the like.